Durable water-repellent (DWR) treatments for garments almost always involve the use of environmentally harmful fluorocarbons that do not degrade in nature and are hormone disrupting. Swedish cleantech company OrganoClick has developed an alternative water repellent technology that is free from fluorocarbons, non-toxic and readily biodegradable. The first fashion garments containing the new eco-friendly DWR have now been put on the market by Filippa K, a Swedish fashion company with a strong position in long lasting fashion.

Fluorocarbons or perfluorocarbons (PFCs) such as PFOA and PFOS are the collective terms used for a group of chemical substances frequently used in water repellent textile treatments since the 1950s. However, fluorocarbons have a number of less desirable properties; they break down slowly in nature, are suspected of causing cancer and are hormone disrupting. OrganoClick has developed a fluorocarbon-free water repellent technology using plant-based catalysts and organic polymers that are highly water repellent yet biodegradable.

“By using biodegradable and non-harmful chemistries in our products, we can be sure that they are not causing any of the negative effects on the environment that the long-chain fluorocarbons,” says Robin Grankvist, Business Area Manager for Performance Textiles & Nonwoven at OrganoClick.

The new eco-friendly technology has been developed by OrganoClick’s researchers and was implemented in Taiwanese textile manufacturer Chang-Ho Fibre’s mills in January 2014. Since then around 100 different fabrics with the new eco-friendly technology have been developed. Filippa K is the first fashion brand to put a fashion garment on the market using OrganoClick’s technology. The products are two women’s jackets made from recycled polyester and nylon.

“Filippa K stands for style, simplicity, quality, and we design products to be long lasting. Our ambition is to leave a minimal environmental and social footprint by choosing the right materials, the best practices in production and the best partners in the value chain. Using OrganoClick’s fluorocarbon-free and biodegradable water repellent technology is an important step as we strive to achieve the best possible materials,” says Elin Larsson, Sustainability Manager at Filippa K.

As the demand increases for green textile technologies, OrganoClick is now scaling up its textile business further with an expanded sales and marketing organization and a new production facility.

“There is a large interest among sports, outdoor and environmentally conscious fashion brands to use high-performance but eco-friendly water repellent technologies. OrganoClick is in a strong position here, as our water repellent technology is both high-performing and durable and at the same time biodegradable and free from harmful chemicals,” says Mårten Hellberg, CEO at OrganoClick AB.

For more information, please contact:

Mårten Hellberg, CEO
Phone: +46 8 684 001 10
Email: marten.hellberg@organoclick.com

About OrganoClick

OrganoClick AB (publ) is a public Swedish cleantech company listed on Nasdaq First North. The company develops, produces and markets functional materials based on environmentally friendly fiber chemistry. Examples of products that are marketed by OrganoClick are the water repellent fabric treatment OrganoTex®, the flame and rot-resistant timber OrganoWood® and biocomposite materials. OrganoClick was founded in 2006 as a commercial spin-off company based on research performed at Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences within environmentally friendly fiber chemistry. OrganoClick has won a number of prizes, such as "Sweden's Most Promising Start-up" and "Sweden's Best Environmental Innovation", and has also received a number of awards, such as the WWF "Climate Solver" award and has also appeared for two years on the Affärsvärldens and NyTekniks list of Sweden's top 33 hottest technology companies. OrganoClick has its head office, production and R&D located in Täby, north of Stockholm. OrganoClick's Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North is Pareto Securities AB. 

About Filippa K

Filippa K is one of the top leading Scandinavian fashion companies, with a strong position in long lasting fashion. Filippa K is today represented in 20 markets around the world through 50 brand stores, its own e-commerce business and more than 600 retailers, such as Liberty, Bijenkorf, NK, Stockman and Illum. Filippa K reached a turnover of 70 million Euro and a growth of 12% in 2013. Filippa K currently has 400 passionate employees, 7 local Filippa K offices and a head office in Stockholm. Filippa K offers a full range of fashion garments including shoes, bags & accessories, for both women and men.